Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com DEC. 5, 2020 15 The hulking player from a program not known for having speed and from a passing offense not rich in explosion is capable of both. "You wouldn't have guessed the guy who's 6-3 and 220 has top-end speed," said Chris Bowers, North- western's director of player personnel from 2011-18 who first met Skowronek as a recruit. "He literally registered as the fastest player on the team. "He ran 23.6 miles per hour. The system registered him the highest at any point in the summer." The speed is on film, too, and showed up on the most important catch of his Northwestern career. Trailing 10-7 in the fourth quarter of a November 2018 game at Iowa, Wild- cats quarterback Clayton Thorson unloaded a downfield throw to Skowronek, who was one-on-one with eventual NFL t h i r d - r o u n d p i c k Michael Ojemudia. A prayer, it seemed, with low catch probability. "It was one of those balls where it's in the air, and I'm like, 'There's no way he catches that.' It was slightly over- thrown, and I didn't know if he had the speed to catch up," Gaziano said. The result was a 39-yard touch- down that gave Northwestern the lead for good and clinched the Big Ten West division. Around the 10- yard line, Skowronek found an extra gear, got away from Ojemudia and made the catch mid-dive. Skowronek spent that game in Pittsburgh running away from Pan- thers defenders, but just as valuable this season is that big frame and the desire to use it. He has given the Notre Dame receiving corps the bail- out, contested-catch skill set it lost when Chase Claypool departed after last season. Against Boston College, Skow- ronek was a single-handed cure for red zone maladies. All three of his touchdowns were within 13 yards. The first was a fade route where he boxed out Boston College corner- back Brandon Sebastian, snagged Book's pass and clenched it in his outstretched arms as Sebastian un- successfully tried to jar it loose. Then Skowronek turned to Sebas- tian and stared a hole through him. The jawing earned a personal foul flag, but no one was too upset. "He was never an in-your-face guy, but I love to see him playing with that edge," Gaziano said. "The stare- down was pretty cool to see." S k o w ro n e k g o e s a b o u t s u c h catches with the calm assurance of someone who understands he's good enough to have those opportunities and expects to produce no matter who's lined up across from him. Everything is drawn from faith in his attributes and his work habits. Every rep in practice has purpose in his preparation for opponents. Mo- ments where he doubts the victor in those matchups are well concealed, if they exist at all. "It's a not-so-quiet confidence," said Bowers, now the defensive co- ordinator at Football Championship Subdivision school Eastern Illinois. "You wouldn't really see it in prac- tice, because he's not a trash talker out loud or outspoken." Skowronek does, though, pick his spots to speak up. Before the drive that ended in a one-way conversa- tion with Sebastian, he approached Kelly, Book and the coaching staff with a suggestion after Notre Dame's opening possession stalled in the red zone. Throw him the ball next time they get down there. He would handle the rest. "If you didn't know better, you'd think he thinks he's better than he is," Bowers said. "He doesn't lack confidence because he knows he put in the work. "I don't think a lot of us under- stood what we were getting from a worker standpoint." 'WE JUST CLICKED' The demand for the ball would've reverberated less if not for Book and Skowronek's obvious chemistry — first displayed in the win over Louis- ville, emphasized the following week at Pittsburgh, but with roots back to this spring. Skowronek first met his current quarterback on his December 2019 visit to Notre Dame, each of them ris- ing fifth-year seniors with one final chance to make an NFL impression. The Irish needed someone proven after losing Claypool, fellow second- round pick Cole Kmet and slot main- stay Chris Finke to add to a green cast of returnees. "We weren't returning a lot of guys," Kelly said. "Ian needed some- one who had played a lot of football. He fit that bill." COVID-19 wiped out 14 spring practices and delayed the chance to build an on-field connection, so to help make up for it, Skowronek flew to Book's home in Northern Califor- nia before the team reported back in June to practice with Book and strengthen the trust that's now con- veyed when one speaks about the other. "He was a flash-card guy, always studying," Book said. "He has strong hands, and he's faster than people think." Added Skowronek: "Ian is so accurate. It's easy to be on the same page with him. … When we first started throw- ing together, we just clicked. I love him as a quarterback. He's a damn good football player." The quarterback-receiver bond al- most didn't leave the ground. Skow- ronek pulled a hamstring in the sea- son opener against Duke Sept. 12, which sidelined him for the fol- lowing week's game against South Florida. A setback then held him out of the Oct. 10 win over Florida State. Through Notre Dame's first three games, he had one target and no catches. The thoughts of lost opportunities and a hollow line on the Notre Dame section of his football résumé began to fester. "I wasn't in a great place mentally," Skowronek said. "I had a great sup- port staff with my family and guys like Ian having my back, always be- lieving in me." And he had himself — specifically, his work ethic that got him here, laughs in the face of a safety blanket moniker. It just might give him the chance to continue his career. "He always worked like, 'If I don't go to the NFL, I'll end up on the streets,'" Bowers said. "His mentality is just that he's going to compete, go- ing to be great, going to excel. I don't think that's easy to see and some- times that can be misunderstood by people. His competitive drive is at a high, high level." ✦ "A lot of people would describe me as a possession receiver, but I just want to be a playmaker, someone who can make a play when my number is called." SKOWRONEK